The Frugal Female: Swap it out

MaryHelen Gillespie

Fashion fatigue, darlings? And not just the itchy mohair sweater dress that sweats bullets now that you’ve sworn off Spanx for good. The closet, the armoire, the piles on the floor…just reek of drabness and dullness, like ex-husbands posting their newest, youngest arm candy on Facebook.

Don’t blow the budget—yet. Set up a clothing exchange with a few of the nearest and dearest with your same superb sense of style. But do so strategically. Be creative and innovative.

Going south for the winter? Or taking an off-season cruise? Invite the A Team over. Ask each to bring a resort or summery outfit, complete with shoes, purse and jewels. If there is a variance in sizes, stick to accessories like sheer scarves and LOTS OF HATS to hide your Retinol-ed face from the sun. Offer each in return a plummy, yummy in-season outfit—toss in coats and boots—and dash all over the map for two weeks or two months with your High Street finery. Upon your return to the real world, meet and return the goods. IN PRISTINE CONDITION. NO EXCUSES FOR NOT DRY CLEANING THE LOT. Anyone who violates this gets tossed out of the rota.

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